The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art.
Batteries are known devices which provide portable direct current electrical power for battery powered devices. A nine volt battery is a widely known and widely used battery configuration wherein a positive terminal and a negative terminal are present upon a same top surface of the battery.
Electrical circuits are known in the art and require that electrical energy can flow in a complete circuit. A battery or a plurality of batteries can be used in a circuit, wherein a battery provides a voltage potential or voltage rise in the circuit. For a given voltage potential, a current in the circuit can be determined according to the relationship voltage potential equals current times electrical resistance. When resistance is relatively high in an electrical circuit, the current for the circuit is relatively low. When resistance is relatively low in an electrical circuit, the current for the circuit is relatively high. If resistance is very low in a circuit including a battery, the current can get very high. In such a low resistance circuit, the battery supplying the electrical energy to the circuit can heat up significantly to a point where a dangerous thermal event can in certain circumstances be created.
Nine volt batteries are designed to have very low resistance between the internal components of the battery and the battery terminals. If any conductive piece spans the two terminals of a nine volt battery, e.g. if a piece of aluminum foil is discarded in the same waste container as a partially depleted nine volt battery and touches both terminals, a very low resistance circuit can be created causing a thermal event in the battery.
Batteries contain chemicals that can be detrimental to the environment if the battery is simply thrown into a landfill. Recycling of batteries has become popular. While a partially depleted battery may include too little voltage potential to continue to be used by a consumer and may be ready to be recycled, the battery still can have enough charge to power an electrical circuit. Consumers wishing to recycle batteries will frequently store used batteries in groups, for example, in a bag or a box, until enough of them have been collected to warrant the effort to take the batteries to a recycling center. A group of nine volt batteries tossed into a bag or a box can accidentally create low resistance circuits.